Far Cry: Duty
by williamriverdale
Summary: Ajay Ghale is a Kyrati going back to his birthplace to fulfill his mother's last dying wish but soon gets caught up in a civil war between The Royal Army run by the eccentric and unpredictable King Pagan Min and the rebel army The Golden Path. Amidst the chaos, death, despair, pain and suffering, Ajay battles his own growing frustrations and deciding what is right and what is wrong
1. Prologue: A Dying Wish

**_Living for one's mother is better than dying for one's motherland._**

"Son, my son…", Ishwari called out to the person sitting next to her as the person's right hand grasped her palm and gave a soft squeeze. She looked towards the face of the person who had grasped her hand. It was the face of her son, Ajay Ghale, who looked at her, sadness and grief evident in his eyes. Ajay's lips were pursed tightly in a frown while his eyebrows scrunched together, showing his great discomfort. Ishwari Ghale knew she was sick. She knew she was dying…

"Don't cry, Ajay. You are a big man now. Be strong . It is alright.", Ishwari consoled her son. Hearing his mother's words, Ajay brought the sleeve of his left hand to his eyes and rubbed away the tears that were nearly going to spill down his cheeks. As Ishwari looked at her son, she noticed how similar he looked like his father now and even to her.

Ajay had always been a troubled child in his childhood and teenage years. It didn't help the fact that he always felt a sense of isolation in the United States. Yes, Ishwari and Ajay were natives of a faraway country in the east. They had come from a country called Kyrat, situated in the womb of the Himalayas. A place rich in tradition and culture, where nature reigned supreme and was beautiful as it was dangerous. The mother and son were immigrants in America. On the outbreak of a great civil war in Kyrat, Ishwari and her then 5 years old son had fled to the States.

Ishwari faced many problems while raising Ajay at a foreign country all by herself. Adopting new cultures and adapting to new circumstances was like hell for the single mother. It became even more worse when Ajay had started growing up. In his teens, Ajay had become a petty thief. Ishwari was aghast to find this secret. When she confronted him, Ajay stated that it was the easiest way to earn money and pay for the rent and the basic necessities. Ishwari begged her son to stop this but he didn't listen to her. Finally, there came a breaking point.

One night, Ajay and his associates were waiting in an alley to rob the first person who would come through the path. A man came and one of the associates brought out a knife and demanded to the man to give all his money. The man, being frightened at the sight of a knife, reflexively pushed the knife-wielder away and struggled when Ajay and the others grabbed him. The one with the knife didn't like being pushed and in his anger, he plunged his knife into the man's stomach. A loud scream escaped his mouth and after a few seconds, his body went completely limp. Ajay was shocked at the turn of the events. They were not supposed to hurt anybody, the knife being just an act to scare the victim into submission. Ajay's acquaintances were also flabbergasted. This was supposed to be a robbery, not a murder attempt. So, they all ran.

But the next day, Ajay turned himself in to the officials and confessed and told the names of his accomplices. He knew that they had crossed a line. He knew that he had crossed a line. Ajay was sent to juvenile detention for a year as he was only seventeen years old. After finishing his time, Ajay had completely left his criminal days. In order to help his mother, he worked as a part-time electrical mechanic and at the same time, studying to join the army. At present, Ajay was 22 years old.

So even as Ishwari Ghale lay dying on the hospital bed, strapped to various electrical devices which monitored her failing health, she could truthfully say that her son had turned into a responsible man even if he had lost his way at the start. She started to feel tired now. Her eyes shut close and she slowly fell into a deep slumber which she would not wake up again.

"Mother… Mother…", Ajay whispered softly seeing his mother close her eyes. The palm which was in his hand relaxed, followed by a continuous one long beep from the health monitor and Ajay knew his mother was no more. Ajay could not hold back his tears anymore. The loss of a parent can be compared to one of the biggest sorrow one can feel. And Ajay did feel it. He cried and cried, not caring for the fact that his voice echoed throughout the whole room.

A hand was gently placed upon Ajay's shoulder. Ajay turned around and found it was the hand of his mother's doctor who looked at him solemnly. "Mr. Ajay, I am sorry for your loss but there was nothing we could do.", the doctor consoled him. He had been regularly taking his mother to the same doctor when his mother started falling ill. Ajay nodded and made an effort to calm himself. When the doctor found him able to control himself, he put his hands in his pocket and took out a piece of paper and offered it to Ajay. Ajay made a confused face at the gesture. "Mrs. Ishwari asked me to give it to you if ever something happened to her.", the doctor answered. The doctor went out of the room to give him some alone-time. Ajay unfolded the paper. It read:

 _Ajay, if you are reading this letter then it means that I am no more in this world. I am sorry that I had to write a letter but, I just was not able to talk it with you face to face. I didn't have the heart to breach a subject such as this. Forgive your mother for this. Know this that I love you more than anything. All I ask of you is to spread my ashes in a place called Guruvesh in Kyrat. Please fulfill my last request, Ajay._

Ajay finished reading the paper. He folded it and kept it in his pants pocket. 'My mother's last wish', Ajay thought, 'After all the pain and trouble, I have given to her throughout her life, this… this is the least I can do for my crimes.' Ajay looked at his mother's face which seemed to be at peace. "Mother, I promise. I will fulfill your wish", Ajay swore adamantly. It was his duty. His Kartavya _._


	2. Chapter 1: Stranded In The Himalayas

_**There can be no bravery without courage and no courage without fear.**_

The bus rattled as it made it's along the slope of the hill, where on it's left side one could see the majestic Himalayas, a white and simmering mountain range. In one of the bus's seats, sat Ajay Ghale. In his hands, he carried an urn which carried his late mother's ashes. 'Guruvesh', Ajay recalled the contents of the letter, 'Where is that place? I wonder if it was mother's birthplace. That seems likely. To be returned to the place where you were born...' Ajay looked out the window of the bus. He felt the cold wind swirling across his face and the tranquility nature. "Beautiful", Ajay whispered.

After four months since his mother's passing, Ajay was finally in Kyrat. He had to just pass a final checkpoint station and he would be in his birthplace. It had not been easy to say the least. Kyrat was not really a tourist spot. A war was going on in the country. From searching around the internet, Ajay could only get a single article about the information about Kyrat. A blog by a journalist named Divya Kandala.

From that site, Ajay could make some facts clear. Kyrat was amidst an ongoing civil war between the king and the native terrorists, who called themselves 'The Golden Path'. They were said to murder the people who supported the king and forcefully make the citizens join the ranks of their army. Ajay tried to email Divya in order to get more information but strangely, no reply was ever returned. Then, Ajay tried to make preparations for the journey. He checked the flights and decided to take a plane from America to Patna in India and then take a bus to Kyrat. Due to the uprising, all airways flying directly to Kyrat were cut off. The bus ride would take four nights to reach across the border.

So Ajay was now finally going to fulfill his mother's last wish. Ajay looked up from his seat and saw the approaching checkpoint. Four soldiers, who wore red uniforms, guarded the place with sleek-looking assault rifles. A soldier motioned for the driver to stop the bus.

"Oy, young man, passport."

Ajay looked to his side, meeting the expecting eyes of a fellow traveler. He was a nice person whom Ajay met in Patna and helped Ajay to get his ride. Ajay checked one of the pockets of his jacket and flipped it out. Ajay handed it to him and he put a local currency note into it. "We have to bribe them...?", Ajay asked him as he took it back. "Extra incentive or they might stop you for no reason. Just to mess with you." Ajay still was not quite sure about this. He handed another traveler's passport to another while the sitting monkey tried to grab it. "Relax, if anything happens, let me do the talking.", Darpan replied.

As the bus stopped, one person got out of the bus and presented the soldiers with the travel documents. "Boss, we came from Patna.", he replied. "Patna, eh?", one of the soldiers glared at him. He took out his radio and said, "We got the bus. Awaiting further orders." "I am coming there. Just stop the bus, will you?", the radio cackled back. "Understood.", the soldier said and shut the radio off.

"Boss please, we have come a long way and are very tired. And we have the documents to prove we came from-" Suddenly, the soldier swatted the documents to the ground. "Just shut up. Shut your trap completely.", the soldier replied. Ajay's apprehension was fully triggered now. He looked out of his seat to see the other soldiers checking under the bus.

"Anything?"

"No, nothing yet."

Ajay's nervousness was reaching new heights. Soldiers had surrounded their vehicle, some important authority figure was coming and he did not how he will be able to get into Kyrat now. Ajay looked to Darpan who looked like a statue, eyeing the soldiers' movements.

"Hey, hey Darpan.", Ajay called.

"(Shh..)", Darpan scrunched his eyes.

"(What is happening?)", Ajay whispered.

"(They are checking the bus for illegal drugs and especially Golden Path rebels.)"

"(Good, cause we don't have any right?)"

...

"(Darpan! Hey Darpan, answer-)"

"I found something here!" The soldier's cry made a shiver ran up Ajay's spine. And then everything happened too quickly. A woman and a man got up from a few seats behind him in some blue and yellow uniform. They had guns in their hands. They got out from the back from the bus and when the soldiers saw them, all hell broke loose. The opposing groups began firing at each other but four against two without any cover was no contest. Suddenly, the man who was outside the bus whipped out a pistol and shot one in the back of the head. Blood splattered everywhere while he shot another one in the arm. The soldier who got shot in the arm screamed while his comrades mercilessly gunned down the man.

Ajay was totally shocked at the events. His heart beat so cold. Blood and death. Again. Again, he was somehow right where he did not wanted to be. The wounded soldier looked right up one of the bus's window, right into Ajay's eyes. Ajay saw the fury in those eyes before he commanded, "SHOOT ALL OF THEM DEAD!"

"Oh go-!", Ajay could only say before his reflexes kicked in and he stumbled to the bus's floor. The firing started and the windows started to shatter and the sparks started to fly. The sound was so deafening. Ajay tightly shut his eyes while he tried to flatten himself to the ground as much as he could. But suddenly, someone grabbed his hand and started pulling. He opened his eyes a little and saw Darpan taking him to the back exit. "Com'on, we are dead if we stay inside!"

Ajay did not needed to be told twice. He started crawling through the barrage of bullets, his senses in overdrive. He could feel how cold the floor of the bus felt as his hands and knees touched it. He could smell the gunpowder, the heat and most horribly, the blood. But he could hear nothing, just a dull tone in his ears. His hands found the handle of the backdoor. His fingers tensed as he turned and threw it open and got out of the now dismantled bus. But now, the soldiers gathered around him pointing their AK- 47s at him while he raised his hands above him.

"L... d...w... n... he... or!" Ajay could not hear what the soldiers were saying.

Suddenly, a gruff hand pushed his upper body to the dirt completely. "Ah!" Ajay grunted as his face hit the hard place. "Are you deaf?! I said 'Lay down on the *** floor!'", the man yelled in his ear. Ajay could hear more properly now and he heard a helicopter approaching them. He could not see Darpan from his position but he saw a chopper descending to the ground a few feet away from him. Ajay squinted his eyes as dust got blown up due to the helicopter.

Slowly as the helicopter whirred to a stop, a man wearing a black jacket under what seemed like a pink suit with back gloves and a weird hairstyle, disembarked from the chopper. He scanned the surroundings and looked quite displeased. He rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. "One simple job... one simple order...", he started as he walked towards the wounder soldier who was clutching his arm. "I said one thing. _Stop_ the bus, you know not _shoot_ the bus. You see, I am very particular with my words. _Stop. Shoot. Stop... Shoot..._ Do these words... sound... same, hm?" The soldier shifted his feet but did not meet the weird man's eyes. Still he answered softly, "B-But sir, it got out of control." The man approached closer and asked, "I am sorry. What did you say?"

"I-it got out of control."

"Oh, I hate it so much when-" in an instant, right before Ajay's eyes, the man took out a golden knife and stabbed the soldier in his throat. The soldier gurgled as he fell to the ground while the man kept stabbing him, "things (stab) get (stab) out (stab) of (stab) control! (stab)" Ajay felt nauseated and even the remaining soldiers did not seem okay at the bloody display. The man, having his anger cooled down a bit, gave a small huff and complained about the splashed blood on his shoes. His eyes then fell on Ajay and instantly lit up. "Well, at least there is a silver lining." He turned to the now dead body of the soldier "You did not at least completely *** it up." Ajay watched as the madman made him to get up and analysed Ajay's features. "Those eyes... they take me back", the man said with a reminiscent look over his blood splattered face. "Oh how rude of me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Pagan Min. And you must be Ajay Ghale."

"How do you know my- wait you, you are the king!", Ajay recalled Divya's blog about the king of Kyrat. 'This sociopath is the king?!', Ajay mouth hung open. "Oh you do know a little about me. This is excellent. Excellent indeed. Oh, we have to talk some more.", Pagan responded delightedly. "But first let us talk a selfie, ok. Hmm... now where is.. oh, could you hold this for a second?", Pagan presented Ajay with the golden knife which actually was a pen. Ajay, too confused, tried to hold the blooded pen with his index finger and thumb. Pagan took out his phone and positioned it above their heads. "Now, say cheese." Ajay could see his own terrified face in the camera as Pagan clicked it. "Awesome. Now..." Pagan took back the pen and made his way towards Darpan who was lying face down on the floor.

'Oh no, not him too.', Ajay's breath hitched but he could not move for the soldiers eyes were trained on him completely. "And who is huh? Your A++?", Pagan crouched before him. Darpan stayed silent. "Ha, the strong silent type. I like it." He glanced at a soldier, "You know what to do." the soldier nodded and put a bag over Darpan's head, tied his hands behind him and led him away. Ajay never felt so helpless as he watched Darpan getting taken away, surely to be executed. Pagan turned to him, "Don't worry, Ajay. Your visit may not have had a good start but, we can always have a great time here. Soon, this will all be behind us and we will off to our grand adventure. You see, cause you and I are gonna-"

 _Bzzt... Bzzt..._

Pagan frowned and took out his cellphone, "Always when I am speaking. Yes, what is it?" Pagan tapped his foot impatiently. "What, again!", he yelled. "How many?... Oh ***. Fine then!" He disconnected the call and looked towards Ajay with a solemn smile. "I am terribly sorry, Ajay my dear boy, but our conversation needs to be cut short. I have some important business to attend to so, I will have to go. But don't worry, I will send another helicopter for you and you shall be be escorted to my palace safe and sound. I hope you will be alright without me there, won't you?" 'Away from you. Always.' Ajay thought as he replied,

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Ah, thank you. You have been most understanding. After I get back, we are going to have some _real_ fun. But for now keep this radio. I will check up on you regularly so you don't feel left out, ok?", Pagan said. Ajay nodded his head as he put the radio in his backpack. With one last hug which Ajay could not help but completely straighten himself, Pagan made his way back into the helicopter muttering. "And I was really looking forward to some Crab Rangoon at Paul's..." After he sat down, he waved at Ajay to which Ajay awkwardly put his hand up. The chopper started ascending and soon it went towards the direction of the Himalayas.

As everything calmed down, Ajay looked at the bus and immediately regretted it. The whole bus was riddled with bullet holes and the soldiers were carrying out the dead bodies and throwing them down a nearby cliff. Men, women, all were being treated like animals. 'God, where the heck am I? What the heck is happening? Are the army the real bad guys? Or were all the passengers terrorists?', Ajay thought sadly but he knew. Those passengers were not with the rebels. In four days and night, he had heard them sing with each other, laugh with each other and eat with each other like a family. And now, all were gone just because two of them were terrorists.

Few minutes later, another helicopter came by. Ajay climbed silently inside. He wore his back pack on his chest to let his back rest a bit. Ajay sat with one soldier at his side with two before him and the pilot in the cockpit. As the chopper gained altitude, Ajay pressed his hands in his armpits due to the increasing cold. They made their way toward the north. Soon, they came across a road path. As Ajay kept thinking how to escape, the soldier sitting to his side called out to his friend. "Hey Askar, look down at those fools." The man named Askar focused his gazed downwards and replied, "Oh ho, this will be fun." Ajay raised his eyebrows and looked down. A group of three people, two woman and a man, were walking carrying straw baskets on their back filled with tea leaves. As Ajay looked, Askar fired his rifle at the unsuspecting people below. The bullets did not hit them but they had the desired effect.

"Aaaaahhh! Run, run!" "Oh lord, save me please, oh god" "Please don't! Please don't!" They started running towards the woods, frightened for their lives, leaving the baskets behind. "Hey! Stop that! Why are you torturing them?", Ajay was angry. These soldiers were sadistic. How could they do this to the people that they had sworn to protect. The soldiers ignored him and Askar just kept shooting when-

"Aiyahhhh!", the male down below cried out and fell to the floor holding his left leg where a bullet struck. One of the females quickly picked him up in her arms and went into the woods. Seeing this, Askar howled in laughter, "You see ha, how he went down and haha, started crying like a little girl! Oh, so funny." He high-fived one of the soldiers while the other smirked. As they were laughing, a tormented and wailing voice came from below. "You *** cowards! You think you can do anything to us and get away with it. God is there and he shall punish everyone of you for hurting my brother! You *** *** ***."

 _ **Insert Song: The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullets love**_

Askar growled at the insults and pulled out a grenade. "So that *** thinks she can run her trap at us. Let see what she has to say about this. Ajay had enough. He was not going to let another innocent person die before him. He lunged for Askar's hand which was holding the grenade. Ajay punched him in the face and snatched the grenade. He ducked as another soldier tried to punch him. One of them tried to reach for a handgun but, Ajay kicked it out of the helicopter. He was suddenly grappled from behind, choking the air out of him.

"What the *** is happening back there?", the pilot yelled from the cockpit. While Askar was reeling from the punch, the other two soldiers came upon him with combat knives in their hands. Ajay quickly jumped and kicked both of them in the chest which made the man behind him hit his head on the wall. Ajay followed it up with five back punches to his head and with a yell, hauled his entire body above him and slammed him in front of him, knocking him out cold. Ajay barely looked to his left to find Askar, his mouth bloody, pointing a gun straight between his eyes. Remembering his training related to close combat, Ajay quickly curved the gun hand from his face with his left hand at which point the shot fired. He felt the bullet pass him and ricochet off the metal. Still using his left hand, Ajay grabbed Askar's arm and pulled his face right into his (Ajay's)right elbow. A crack sounded, a scream and another shot was fired. "Ah-!" Ajay looked at the sound and found the pilot hit by the bullet. He was dead. "Holy-" The helicopter started to jerk around. Ajay found himself nearly out in the air if he had not caught the edge of the seat. One of the remaining two guys was not so fortunate and fell down to his doom screaming. "You son of a-", the last conscious soldier glared with hatred at Ajay. He tried to lunge at Ajay again but Ajay kicked him right out of the chopper. _*Splash*_

'What, water?' Ajay thought as he looked down. He was indeed above a giant lake. 'If I jump at this height, the surface will break my bones... Wait, a parachute! I need a parachute' With his last remaining courage, inside the hurling helicopter, Ajay searched the emergency compartment where lay a single parachute. Ajay thanked the gods above him and quickly wore it. Taking a deep breath, he jumped out of the helicopter. Only after getting enough distance from the chopper, he opened the parachute. The parachute opened with a swoosh and his descent speed decreased drastically. 'I am alive, oh god I am alive!', Ajay breathed as he slowly touched upon the surface of the water. Immediately, Ajay motioned to get out of the parachute, not wanting to get tangled in its threads. With a little effort, he got out and proceeded to swim towards the shore.

Totally drenched, Ajay lay on the shore taking deep breaths while the birds chirped above the trees and the mountains loomed in a shade of crimson. Ajay checked his watch. It was 4:33 PM. It was going to be night soon. Ajay looked into his back and saw that his mother's ashes were safe inside the urn. He breathed in relief and took off his drenched clothes. He kept on his shoes and his water-proof blue jacket but took off his inner jumper and changed underwear. He put some new underwear on and changed his socks. Then he put on his favorite brown combat leather gloves. He put the wet clothes in the bag along with the grenade which he was actually clutching the entire scuffle in the helicopter. 'Reflex', Ajay mushed. He looked around and found himself surrounded by a dense forest. Checking his bag's compass, he decided to head south.

Ajay remembered something. The soldiers... were dead. Did he kill them? 'No I did not kill them. That Askar shot the pilot, another one fell by himself and another... I, I kicked him... out...' Ajay was trapped. he was responsible for taking a life even if of an evil person. 'Forgive me, mother. I don't... I, I am sorry.' Ajay started walking through the forest. "I need help." Howling was heard in the distance, "And fast." Ajay started running.

 **So, here's the first chapter for my story. Quick question, do you guys want mythical elements to this story?**


	3. Chapter 3: Lost Signal

_**The world doesn't change in front of your eyes, it changes behind your back.**_

Ajay Ghale was tired. After the insane death jump from the helicopter, he had been walking for hours on end. "6: 12 PM. I have been walking for at least two hours and no sign of any person in this forest!", Ajay spoke, dejectedly. "Of course, what was I thinking? You are going to a war torn country and thought everything was going to be… Oh man, I need to stop talking." Ajay rubbed his face with his gloved hand. All that was happening was getting to them. It was making him angry, making him lose hope. But, Ajay had learned better. His mother had taught him better. He had skills, unrefined though maybe, but they would help him survive. He remembered his instructor's words:

" _Ajay, now focus on what I tell you and trust me, this will be the only thing 'you' must learn. Do not doubt yourself when in peril. Just move ahead and don't stop until it's over. Don't give up, keep moving."_

'Keep moving and don't give up', Ajay repeated his mantra in his head. His instructor was always right and always knew what to say in each problematic situation. Ajay kept wandering through the forest. He minded the overgrown roots and the foliage. 'I may need some sort of knife. These leaves are always in my face and I am unarmed."

Soon, it was night time. Owls had started hooting, there were bats screeching in the air, and the howls of the wolves felt closer than ever before. Ajay's vision was failing him now. He had already stumbled three times, one time nearly kissing the earth face first. Ajay cursed himself for not bringing a torch with him. Suddenly, his foot slipped on something slimy and he fell backwards on his butt. "Ow, oh what the heck." A stench filled Ajay's nostrils. 'Augh ew, an animal's poop. Fantastic.', Ajay pinched his nose as he got up and dusted himself. He scratched the sole of his shoe on some leaves to take off the slime.

Suddenly, a shrieking noise filled his ears. Ajay quickly looked behind putting his hands up in a boxing position. Ajay tried to find the source of the sound and then, he remembered it was his radio's static. Ajay slacked with relief and motioned to turn on his radio.

"Hello, who is this?", Ajay greeted quietly. He really did not want the attention of any hostile people or animals. He was quite exhausted already and very hungry.

"Greetings Ajay, its me. Your's wonderful host, Pagan Min." Ajay closed his eyes and breathed deeply. After all that had happened, the mad king was still talking to him like some old friends walking in the park.

"Oh, but I didn't get to show my hospitality to you now, did I? If you only would have stayed inside the helicopter instead of going Rambo on my soldiers then, right now, right now Ajay, we would be having such a lavish dinner. I would even have given you a first person tour for Kyrat."

Ajay was fuming now. Every word that came out of Pagan Min sounded so sincere and that made him so angry. Ajay answered, "Pagan, I don't want anything from you. Your soldiers killed everyone in the bus. They were people. They were innocent people. And they were gunned down mercilessly and their bodies were thrown off the cliff! And you killed Darpan!"

"Ajay, Ajay, I understand what you must have been going through. First day in Kyrat and all seems so *** up. And it is boy. The Golden Path have been trying to weaken my hold on Kyrat, those monkeys. They are the reason my soldiers are showing 'extra' precaution. Oh reminds me, do you know the soldiers who shot at you at the checkpoint? The big, straight face, pretty gruff looking, smelly-"

"Yes, I know them."

"Well, I had them executed."

"You wha-"

"I had given them a simple instruction. If they could not even follow it, then didn't deserve to be in my army. So, I fired them, literally, hehe. And Doorpan-"

"Darpan."

"Ah whatever his name is, was smuggling *** weapons into my country for the *** fucking Golden Path! Now that is not okay in my books Ajay! Not okay at all! He deserved this."

Ajay felt he did not wanted to talk anymore. "Pagan… why are you so cruel?"

"…"

"…"

"…The world is cruel, Ajay. And I am not taking this some stupid-*** soap opera. I am saying this from experience. So the only way to counter its cruelty is to become cruel oneself."

Pagan took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Ajay, listen to me. Come back. Come back to me and I will promise on my life that you will see no more of this stuff anymore. You can stay as long as you like, free of tensions and all your wishes acknowledged. Kyrat can be a beautiful place if you know just where to look."

Ajay answered unrelentingly, "No."

Pagan sighed, "Fine then, do what you wish. But my soldiers are looking for you. They are zoning in your position right now. So don't struggle and you will live."

"No, they are not. It's a decoy."

"Huh?"

"The tracker in the radio. I took it out.", Ajay felt a little proud of himself. His engineering experience was of some use here.

"Bwahahahahaha, incredible Ajay! Incredible. You are strong and smart! Perfect as a leader as-"

Ajay had enough of Pagan's ramblings. He closed the radio and kept on walking. "Just how big is this forest?"

 **(At the royal palace)**

Pagan Min had a big smile on his face even when Ajay had disconnected the radio. "The poor boy's just shy.", he mused to himself. The radio again buzzed. Pagan picked up the call.

"Um sir, we have found the signal."

"Oh wonderful news. And?"

"Well its in the bottom of Raman lake, sir. I-I think Ajay did not make it."

Pagan could barely hold the laughter which was going to explode inside him. He said two words and disconnected the call.

"Happy swimming."

Then, he laughed.

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update. Writer's block. This chapter is a little bit short so sorry if I could not meet your expectations. I just needed to develop Pagan a little more and at the same time Ajay. Thanks for reading. If you have ideas, feel free to share.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Friend In Need

**Keep your friends close…**

It was dead into the night and everything was calm. A pale light from the waxing moon illuminated the surrounding forest. All was quiet excluding the small noises of the cicadas. But, Ajay felt dreaded by this silence. Ajay had kept wandering into the jungle until it was close to midnight. He had finally decided to rest for the night as he could not get a sense of direction. Ajay looked around him and chose a large tree at a small clearing. He climbed it a certain ease due to the extra grip provided by his gloves. He nearly fell once when a particular weak branch broke under the weight of his hand. Unfazed, Ajay grabbed another branch and pulled himself into a comfortable position.

Ajay rested his head on the bark of the tree and rested his tired body. His hands and legs were shaking, the exhaustion the day finally catching up to him. His knuckles were bruised due to the punching and feet were sore and felt like they would fall at any moment. "Best vacation ever", Ajay whispered to himself dismissively. A part of Ajay wanted to scream and shout like a madman. A part of him wanted to hurt somebody, anybody, for all the troubles he had been suffering from until this moment. A part of him wanted to die….

But Ajay kept his wits and his raging emotions strongly in check. Going crazy in a place like Kyrat was the last thing he wanted. He really liked to able to think cohesively. Ajay's stomach rumbled quietly. He was feeling famished. He had some lunch when he was in Patna and that was it. He had not even had a morsel of food for the remainder, not that he was in quite an appetite with the blood and death around him. Ajay rummaged through his backpack for the third time of the night or any particle of imaginary food in it and found nothing. Ajay sighed for the umpteenth time while his hand landed on the radio. He had done a smart thing by taking out the tracker from it or else he would just have been a sitting duck.

He turned on the radio and started tuning on various channels. 'There must be some good stuff to hear in this place. I can't even listen to songs now that my cell is short-circuited.', Ajay thought as he remembered the fall into the lake. In no time, Ajay had come upon a connection.

" _-lease join Pagin Min. Help him create a beautiful Kyrat. Put your trust in him. Forsake the lies of The Golden- "_

"You are kidding right?" Ajay changed the channel with a frown on his face.

" _rebels. They are taking advantage of the generosity of Pagan Mi-"_

He changed it again.

" _which is a great sin-"_

Ajay tried again and again to get a different channel but with no luck. "This is beyond comprehension. This guy is everywhere!" But suddenly, Ajay found a channel. Quite a lot of static filled it but he cound make out some words. "Ray, free, Kyrat…" After then, Ajay heard some lyrics to a song being played, but the noise was just too much to make sense of it. Ajay turned the radio off and felt he should get some much needed sleep. Ajay closed his eyes and drifted off to a restless sleep.

 _Ajay... take my... ashes to… Guruvesh... Guruvesh... Guruvesh_

A sudden sound entered Ajay's ears. He instantly opened his eyes and surveyed the surroundings below. Sounds of someone walking permeated through the forest. As the sounds grew closer and closer, so increased Ajay's paranoia. Soon, a figure entered the clearing. He was a male who looked like a native Kyrati. He carried a bow on his back and a quiver on his right hip. He also carried some sort of blade on his left hip. His vest and trousers were dirtied with mud and blood and sported a rucksack on his back. Ajay made sure that the leaves of the tree hid his presence as the man settled down crossed legged a few feet in front of him. Ajay, as slowly as possible, climbed down the tree and approached the figure. Ajay could not put down the theory for a second that this man was a soldier in disguise and sent to find him.

When Ajay crept lost to him, he picked up a small branch and mirrored it like he was holding a gun. He quickly placed it on the man's head and mouthed quietly, "Don't move or I shoot!" Ajay heard a gasp escape the man's mouth along with his spine growing stiff, but other than that he didn't move a muscle.

"Aay, ta toh *** haru la balla malai vhetis." Ajay heard the man speak in Kyrati. Ajay knew it by his mother. "So you *** have finally found me, eh?", Ajay translated. "Who are you talking about?" , Ajay asked apprehensively. The man spoke in English this time, "Huh, you sound foreign and speak English. Who are you?"

"I am Ajay Ghale. I come from America."

"What are you? A new recruit for the *** Royal Army?", The man sneered aggressively.

"No, I am just a… uh, tourist."

"Yeah, like I am going to believe that."

"Its the truth. I am not from here. …Are you with the Royal Army?"

"Me. Yeah, I like burning my own house and kill my own family and celebrate it with rakshi (alcohol later.", Heavy sarcasm and anger dripped from his voice.

Ajay felt a little awkward now. He was not a good with these emotional situations. The only emotional things that ever happened to him was the murder he was a part of and the death of his mother. Ajay spoke, "I am going to put away the gun now. I am going to step away slowly. I don't want to hurt you and don't want to get hurt." Ajay didn't wait for an answer and proceeded to back away.

After getting a certain distance Ajay dropped the twig on the ground and gave the signal to move around. The man moved without any fear and Ajay finally saw his face. He was close to his age with his features rather rough with a small cut on his cheek.

The man also searched his features and spoke, "You are not really not from around here."

"I am telling you the truth. I am really a tourist. Well… was one anyway."

"You seem like you have been through some tough times."

Ajay sighed, " Yeah, it was a lovely day." Ajay's stomach rumbled again. "Um, got any food?"

…

Ajay and the man soon were sitting around a fire with a deer meat on it. Ajay found his mouth watering at the sight. They did not speak much so Ajay tried to make a conversation.

"Uh, my name is Ajay."

The man looked up from cooking the meat. "You already told me that."

"Well, what is your name then?", Ajay was too hungry to do this.

"Karan. I am called Karan Newar."

"Nice to meet you."

"…Same."

"So you hunt the deer?"

"Well yes. I followed the herd along the marsh down the valley and shot one clean dead with my bow.", Karan said with great pride and sobered up quickly. "Honestly though, its becoming difficult to hunt anymore."

"Why so?", Ajay asked. "Is it because of the predators and the army?"

"Right on the nose, Ajay. But more so, hunting is banned.", Karan told Ajay while giving him a piece of the deer in a large leaf which Ajay accepted graciously. "Our great leader Pagan Min has made the rule to ban all hunting either for sport or food. Furthermore, he has captured most f Kyrat's fields, making sure that we have to always buy groceries from him for insane prices! *** that *** !"

Ajay didn't knew the situation was this bad. Ajay knew that going against Pagan Min meant death. He slowly chewed on the rather rubbery meat with a strong dull taste and asked, "If the country's people are suffering from him so much, why are they not doing more. I mean I get the insurgence of the Royal Army, but from what I have seen and heard, they are just a small militia group."

Karan listened carefully while he bit his own deer meat. After gulping it down, he answered, "It is because Kyrat is just not one country anymore. It is two: Northern Kyrat and Southern Kyrat. The north is Min's territory. There he rules the people b providing them with as much as he greedily wants to. Most people of the north are swayed by his good deeds to them and the south is his plaything. He makes the people work in mines, the women in prostitution rings and growing drug plants in the fields to smuggle them."

"My god, this is insane. And the outside countries know nothing of it yet. Haven't been there any attempts at communications?"

"Pagan Min may be a murdering *** but he is not a fool. Thereis no such thing as communication here. There are no landlines, no internet. All the people have, few who are lucky to buy, are ancient cell phones with a strict surveillance on them. And for entertainment, we have the radio, not that there is any value in it. The radio towers set up throughout the place is used to further Pagan's goals Total supremacy. All day in every channel, Pagan Min's propaganda is streamed and few twenty or ten minutes of songs every five hours or so. We are totally trapped here. We are like fishes in a pond."

Ajay remembered the annoying lady's voice on the radio spreading lies about the 'goodness' of Pagan Min doctrine. He rubbed his face, getting close to having a huge migraine. "And I suppose no getting out of the country too?"

Karan nodded as he put another branch on the fire. "Kyrat is surrounded by the Himalayas, basically making it a land-locked country. The few routes out of here lies in the north. And you know what's in the north. Also, the airport is in the north. Here in the south, we have nothing but the flesh sticking to our bones."

Karan stretched his legs from his cross-legged position. "Enough about sad lives and such. Why did you come here? You really don't look like a dumb fool to me."

Ajay opened his bag by his side, all the while Karan's eyes trained on his movements. He took out the urn and showed it to him. Karan immediately understood what was the container about and gently took it in his hands. He read the words inscribed on it. _Ishwari Ghale._ "Your mother?", Karan asked as he handed it back to Ajay.

"Yeah, my mother's ashes. She wanted me to spread them in a place called Guruvesh, here in kyrat. That is the reason why I came here and got tangled up in this mess."

Karan stayed silent for a while and smiled for the first time, "You are quite brave and dutiful , it seems. Seems like the foreign did little to change this Kyrati."

Ajay also gave a small smile, "It was the least I could do. I got her in quite some difficult times when I was small. I was such an idiot back then."

Karan lied on the ground and looked to the pale moon, "I was not far behind. I always used to go out in the woods to hunt. I loved to do it. I worried m father so much. My mother passed away at my birth and my father raised me along with his younger brother and his wife, my aunt. I sometimes got hurt pretty badly and when I returned home, father would be so angry with me. He always asked me to study, study and study. Well, I think my father's strictness helped me to become a better. Even if my mother was not there for me, I always felt that my family was whole."

"…"

"Until… everything disappears and you feel that… you hadn't done enough…"

Ajay and Karan just sat there wondering about their past lives. The fire flickered along the wind and the woods were immolated in an orange hue. Ajay asked, "Do you know where Guruvesh is?"

"I don't. I am soory. I know a place called Gurusthal. It's a temple but I don't think that is the place you are looking for. I think this pace, Guruvesh, lies somewhere in (sigh) again in the north…"

Ajay reacted indifferently to this revelation. He was already thinking of how to get into the north properly and was coming up with nothing. He decided to let it go for now and just stay quiet. Suddenly, loud voices sounded in the distance.

"Oy, what is that light there?"

"Is someone there? Could it be Ajay?"

"(You two! Quiet down! And go check it out.)"

"(Yes sir.)" "(Yes sir.)"

Ajay and Karan were on their feet. Karan spoke, "(Ajay, hide in that tree. If they see a fire and meat with no person around , they will get even more suspicious. Here, take this blade for safety)" and handed Ajay the blade. Ajay quickly climbed the tree like a monkey and ws again out of sight. Karan sat down and started eating his dinner. Soon, two royal army soldiers came across him, rifles trained on him.

They surveyed the surroundings and pointed it at Karan. "Hey you! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Karan spoke like he was confused and scared. "Uh um, eating dinner."

"Don't you know that hunting is banned?"

The second spoke, "Have you seen this guy?" and took out a photo.

Karan looked at it to find the smiling face of a blood splattered Pagan Min and a bewildered Ajay. Even if Karan showed no reaction, he was pretty disturbed by it.

"Yeah, I know this. He is our king of course."

"No the other one you fool!"

"Um no, never have seen him. Is he an important person."

"You don't need to know, you ***.",The soldier sneered. "Now, back to the original topic." He took out a handgun. "You know what the punishment for hunting is, don't you?" Karan saw the barrel trained on him and the sound of the cocking mechanism. "Um is it you kissing my butt?"

"Hehe, bye-bye…" But before, he could shoot Ajay dropped down like an angel of death, burying the Kukri blade fully on the side of the neck of the aggressive soldier. He did not even scream and was dead. Leaving the blade, Ajay made a move to punch the second one right in the face. But unfortunately, he caught his hand and shoved him away.

"He's here! Ajay's- awk- (gurgle)" The soldier screamed but Karan had already shot a bow dead centre on his throat. He helped Ajay up and whispered harsely, "(Why didn't you just kill the second one too?! Now they will come here!)" Ajay replied annoyed, "(Hey I am not going to go on a muder spree okay. The first would have shot you if I hadn't kill him!" Before they could argue any further, three more soldiers came into view. Two were carriying similar AK-47s but one, with huge protective bullet-proof gear was carrying a LMG which was a PKM in Ajay's mind.

No words nor warnings were given. All three of them started firing. Ajay and Karan quickly hid behind two large trees in the distance while Karan tried to return fire with the pistol. While the two grunts fired on Karan, Ajay was being relentlessly pelted by the bullets of the machine gun and did not think his tree could take any more damage before holes started to appear in him. He made a plan to move to karan's location which was a few metres away, a deadly few metres. But, Ajay had no choice.

Ajay called out against the deafening sound of the bullets and the raging gunpowder. "Karan, throw me the gun! I have a plan." Karan immediately agreed. He had never was good with a gun than with a bow. "I hope you don't get us killed!" "Trust me!" Ajay said as he caught the gun in his right hand, the enemies unknown of the exchange. 'Two bullets. Must make it count.'

Ajay adjusted the weight of the kukri in his left hand. His momused to tell him that the kukri was not a weapon for killing, It was tool, a tool for everyday use and only to be used when to protect. 'I hope I am doing the right thing.' Ajay quickly looked around the tree and backed against the tree again. He memorized the pstion of the soldiers and strained his ears to the maximum.

The guns were blazing.

 _Come'on…_

Ajay could feel the splinters of the tree flying.

 _Anytime._

Ajay felt a bullet finally make a hole in the tree and pass by the back of his nech.

 _Just there…._

*click* One of the soldiers magazine got empty.

NOW! Ajay sprang like a coiled snake in the direction of Karan. Ajay saw the soldier taking out a new magazine and threw the kukri towards his face. The heavy blade sailed through the air, its sharp blade shining off the moonlight as it struck the soldier in his chest and he was down. Not stopping, Ajay concentrated against the bullets passing by him on the second grunt and shot him right into the head. As the leader started aiming his gun on the middle of his body, Ajay quickly did a lunging combat roll. The leaves removed the traction and he he got to Karan safely.

Karan was amazed was to say the least. Ajay had just killed two soldiers simultaneously in a deadly manner. 'And how did he threw the kukri like it was just a knife?!', Karan was stupefied. Even the leader had stopped firing at the beast like agility displayed by Ajay.

Karan finally spoke, "Ajay, how did you…"

"I was training for the army.", Ajay rubbed his left arm as he huffed.

'Training for the army does not give you that kind of skills.', Karan thought. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"I just skinned my hand a little. Nothing to…(huff) worry. We have still one more and I have one bullet left." But seriously Ajay did not know what good one bullet was against a guy with armor which could easily withstand the fire of three assault rifles.

Ajay looked at Karan and saw him trigger ready with the bow. "The bow is useless here." Karan siged, "Don't remin-" The bullets started again. "Just how many bullets does this *** have?!" "That gun can hold at least a hundred round. Some are customized to hold more!", Ajay answerd as he made a desperate attempt and shot the leader on his helmet. The bullet just ricochet off. No bullets now. "Great, just great. Now what?!"

"Ajay, didn't you say you were going for the army. Don't you have any weapons in your bag."

"I can't just carry a gun while I travelled in the pla- wait, weapon…" Ajay scrunched his face and his eyes popped open. "I have a grenade!" Ajay knelt down and found his bag by his side. "Did you bring it here?", Ajay asked as he took out the grenade.

Karan impatiently said, "Yeah but who cares! Kill him!"

Ajay held the explosive ball in his hand and pinched the trigger. This was a tick grenade which meant as soon as the pin is pulled out it would tick for ten times before blowing up. Judging by the distance, Ajay calculated that throwing the grenade at the fifth tick would be most effective. But before that,

"Hey you, stop shooting now! Let's not fight anymore! Just stop it." But the man didn't care.

Karan shouted, "Ajay!"

So with a grunt Ajay pulled the pin, "Karan run!" and made a dash on the right side. The soldier trained his gun on Ajay forgetting Karan who made away into the forest. Ajay ran while the bullets followed him and at the fifth tick, he threw the grenade. The grenade sailed through the air, still ticking and just as it was in front of the soldier's face, the tenth click sounded. The grenade erupted into a terrifying explosion like a cackle of thunder and heat washed over the area. The man was blown away due to the proximity, like a rag doll. Ajay fared no better and was violently jerked around and landed on the ground.

Some seconds later, Ajay stood up with ringing ears and his balance lost. He felt the world was smwimming around him. A torn hand, a river of blood, painful screams, monsters invaded his vision. And then, he was thwacked from behind and Ajay finally fell into a deep sleep.

 **Please tell me if you liked it or not and give me some reviews on where I can improve upon my writing. All in all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Great Escape

… _ **And your crazy friends even more close.**_

Visions. Ajay was seeing visions. Visions of a place which was out of the world. The sky was tinted in yellow, all the tress around him bore red leaves and the river flow in a pristine transparency. Ajay walked. No, he floated. He did not know what he was happening. He could see his body. Yet he could see everything else. So, he barreled through the landscape without knowing where it was taking him. He flew through giant palaces which were all dedicated to gods and walked across giant humongous bells like present in monasteries. Ajay was amazed at the engravings on the walls, the paintings on the wood, stone and metal, and sooth constant hum of the word 'Om', which seemed to reverberate through his being, if he had a self altogether.

Soon, he reached on a space on the ground. Ajay walked like he was hypnotized. Soon, a path formed magically among the scarlet grass on his feet and saw that he now could see his feet. He was barefooted. He seemed to not have clothes on his body aside from a blue cloth below his torso and a white thread slung on his body. He found his chest, hand and legs, filled with symbols and inscriptions, but rather than tattooed, they were painted on him. Most likely from the paste made from the Heyna plant.

Slowly, the humming became dimmer and dimmer and Ajay reached a clearing where a man stood with his back to Ajay. He was in a similar garb as Ajay's but in blue instead of red. Markings also covered his body. His hair was matted in a bun like a monk but he carried a odd shaped kukri by his waist.

 _"Aa gaye tum hara par?"_ , the figure spoke in a language similar to Kyrati. He turned around and faced him. Ajay did not know what to say. Just by looking at the person, he (the person) felt outwordly, he felt powerful. His body was not defined, his muscles did not show like some body builder but, his body was filled with strength. Like a true warrior. Yet, Ajay felt calm. He felt no hostilities from him aside from the strange language.

*"Timi abha malai bhujana shakxau?", the figure started talking in Kyrati now, maybe seeing Ajay's confusion. Ajay nodded, he could understand now. 'Can you understand me now?'

"Yo khun thau ho?", Ajay asked the figure. 'What is this place?'  
"Yo thau Shangri-La ho, Kyrat ko bhuliako ra bhiteko itihaas." 'This is Shangri-La, Kyrat's long forgotten and lost past.'  
"...Tapai ko hun?", Ajay asked. 'Who are you?'  
"Mero naam Kalinath ho.", the man answered with a smile. 'My name is Kalinath.' He then continued, "Ani Ajay, timro uthne bela bhayo. Kyrat farkha." 'And Ajay, it is time for you to wake up. Go back to Kyrat.'

Before Ajay could ask Kalinath anything else, his vision started to blur. All the things around seemed to be mixing together like water, the colors shedding from the objects. Light started to fade, and the last thing Ajay saw was the smiling face of Kalinath.

Slowly, Ajay started to wake up. His head felt numb on one spot and all on the other sides and inside to burn painfully. He felt his body full of sweat and he could not move his hands at all. 'God, oh god, too hot! Too hot, where?', Ajay felt the humid and constricted atmosphere around him. He opened his eyes to see noyhing. Ajay was blind as a bat. He felt he could hear some sort of sound when, suddenly Ajay was jerked upward and he hit his head on the roof of the space he was inside. "Ow! God, ow, ow, ow!"

He found that other than the small space, his hands and legs were bound. Slowly he started hearing better and finally was in touch with his condition. He was in the trunk of a car. Ajay was confused how and why he got here. He tried to fight away the massive headache and he stated to hear better what was going on. He concluded one thing.

He was inside the trunk of a car.

Finally it all came back to him. His meeting with Karan, the Royal Army goons, the firefight and the hit to his head. 'Wait! Where is my bag?!', Ajay suddenly felt his stomach drop. 'Did Karan took it with him when we got separated?' Ajay was worried about his mother's ashes. If the army got hold of it… he just hoped they did not have it. The trunk was smaller than Ajay, making Ajay be placed in a crammed position on his side with his knees in level with his torso.

Ajay could not kick the trunk in this condition and his hands were tied tightly behind his back. His headache was returning so were the road bumps and Ajay just hoped he would not be dead before they reached whichever destination they were heading.

Dawn was breaking in the land which resting on the lap of the Himalayas. Kyrat was fully awake for a new day. The villagers were going through their daily routine of cleaning, gathering, herding, cooking, etc. The wild animals in the forests awoke from their slumber make their next meal of the vegetation or to find another one to hunt, undiscriminating if it was a human.

The village of Ratham was one of the major ones in the south. It had a humble population of people of 2000 and had sturdy houses of wood and mud. It was one of the few villages which was not troubled by Pagan Min's cruel regime owing to the fact of it's location lying deep into the south where the Golden Path had concentrated control. Life was tolerable even if it could have been much better.

But today in Ratham, there was much activity. A small bazaar was in session. People from different villages were huddled today in order to sell their wares and it was lively. Vegetables, meat, exotic herbs, spices, clothes, knives and tools, it was a plethora of goods.

One particular person seemed to be in quite a hurry. He ran through the bazaar, squeezing through the flustered pedestrians while muttering apologies. "Sorry." "Alikati hatnuhos." _Please, give a little way._ He got quite a few glares, some curses but he paid no heed to them. He did not time for common courtesy. 'Must find help! Ajay must be in a ton of trouble.', Karan Newar thought worriedly.

After Ajay had told Karan to run, Karan had made quite a way away until he heard the explosion behind him. He stopped and crouched down, drawing an arrow on his bow and listened. When he hard no more shooting, he concluded the fight was over and hoped that Ajay had survived it. "Ajay, you are a crazy lunatic…", Karan muttered as he made his back to the place from whence he came.

But Karan was too late. He found Ajay's body being carried off by more soldiers, who he thought might have come to investigate the explosions , and got the drop on Ajay. He followed them at a unsuspecting distance to where they were taking Ajay and if he was even alive or dead. To Karan's dismay, his quiver was too short on arrows in order to engage the heavily armed soldiers. And to add even more troubles, they put Ajay inside the trunk of a jeep and drove away.

And so Karan found himself in Ratham to contact anybody who could help him. The Golden Path soldiers were always visiting the villages in the south to see if the villagers needed anything. But it was more likely to make the citizens join their ranks. Still, it was worth a shot. Ratham had one means of communication. A single closed channel radio, the only one the Royal Army were not able to track. Created by some DJ called Rana.

Karan found himself quickly out of the bazaar and into the normal streets of the village. It had taken him half an hour to reach Ratham even more so if he had not taken a shortcut through the woods. He finally found Old Man Tharu's house. His house was more of a pub for the local villagers who came to gossip, drink, and get into drunken fights while the less drunk ones betted on who was to left standing. He found the door open as it was at all times, welcoming the next batch of customers and wannabe gladiators.

Karan entered the house swiftly and found Tharu at one of the tables smoking a crudely rolled up cigarette. Tharu also saw Karan and took the burning paper out of his mouth to greet.

"Ah, the Newar hunter returns. So Karan, my boy, what is in store for today. More goat meat, or is it deer?", Tharu questioned and chuckled, his eyes, squinting. "Or have you been finally been able to kill the rhinoceros like you used to say in the old days?"

"No wares to sell. I need to use the radio okay?", Karan said and proceeded to climb up the wooden stairs of the house. Tharu, curious himself, followed him. Tharu found Karan on the table using the radio, sounding off static, while a his bow and a bag was put on the ground. "Hmm… Where did you get this bag Karan? Didn't you used to carry an old one?", Tharu questioned standing on the frame of the door while Karan tinkered with the buttons.

"That, uh bag is the reason, I mean the bag's owner is the reason that I am here."

"What? You want to broadcast a 'Lost and Found' section in the radio?", Tharu joked.

"No the bag's owner was abducted by the Royal Army and I-" Suddenly the static became a lot clearer. Karan spoke into the mic. "Hello, is anybody there? Is this the Golden Path?"

"Yes, this is Hari. How can I help you?"

"A friend of mine was taken by the army in one of their outposts. I need help in order to save him."

"I am very sorry but our hands are full at the moment. We are planning to ourself do a rescue mission on De Pleur's mansion and extract a VIP. I am sorry."

"You can spare at least some soldiers please. His life may be in danger."

"…I am really sorry." The channel disconnected.

Karan put the mic down on the table and cursed loudly. He banged the table hard, three times, each time the wood shuddering under his barrage.

"Hey stop that. You are going to hurt yourself.", Tharu put a hand on Karan's shoulders. 'And those tables don't come cheap.', he added as an after thought.

"Tharu, how long are we supposed to survive like this? Like *** sheep herded by that outsider *** Pagan Min. That ***!"

"There, there kiddo. Don't lose hope. We will get out of this someday. We just have to stay strong. Well tell me, who is this friend of yours?"

Karan stood up and turned to Tharu. "You see his name is- what the- Who?! Who are you?!" Karan saw that behind Tharu was standing a foreign man, in sweatpants and a dirty grey jumper, sporting a frizzy beard and a blue polka-dotted bandana. He was eavesdropping on their conversation and seemed to be… crying? He had tears running down his cheeks.

"Maaaaan…", the man said, sniffing. "That is the most heartbreaking story I have heard since Romeo and Juliet and I do not even know Romeo and Juliet, ya see. Heard was a heartbreaking story."

Karan was bewildered at the man. He did not know what he was more confused at: that a grown man was crying or weird way he talked. But Tharu let out a sigh and said, "Hello again Hurk. You are early today. Another drink?"

The man called Hurk addressed Tharu. "Yo what's up Thor? Nah, not drink but entertainment ya know. Radio seemed like a good choice after what I did with that monkey when I was bored."

Karan turned to Tharu, "You know this guy?" But the question sounded more like "Why are you associating with mental people?"  
Tharu took a quick drag of his cigarette and answered, "His name's Hurk. An American mercenary. Here to get redemption from the monkey gods. Don't ask me. I didn't. Decent guy, regular customer, can hold his liquor better than others. And he is with the Golden Path."

"Hey Thor, come on man, don't talk like I'm not here." Hurk raised his arms. "And how many times do I have to tell you I am with the Royal Army. THE Royal Army. Dude, it has a royal in it. And I am outing lead into the *** Golden Path since I was three years old."

Karan again turned to Tharu with a questioning look. And Tharu delivered accordingly. "(He thinks we are the Royal Army and they as the Golden Path. I don't try to correct him anymore.", Tharu said as all three of them made their way down the stairs.

Karan learned that if the Golden Path were taking such recruits then they were not freeing Kyrat in the long future. Hurk then turned to Karan, "Hey squirt, Hurk's the name. Awesomesause is the game."

"Um, yeah. I am Karan"

"Ha, nice name, K-ran."

"Karan."

"K-ran."

"Karan!"

"K-ran."

"Nevermind!"

Karan felt a headache coming to him and his anxiety over Ajay to take him into an irritated mood. "Hold on there boyo. You are worried about your pal, aren't ya? How about I help you?", Hurk offered. Karan was a little surprised at the gesture but did not question a gift horse in the mouth. "Well thank you very much. So let's go." Karan said as he made for the door.

"Hell yeah! The Dashing Duo to the rescue!", Hurk proclaimed as he follows Karan out.

"Wait what?" Karan stopped in his track and turned around.

"Dashing Duo. Well, we can another D word like dynamite or how about dynamite?"

"No, no, no, no. You said 'duo'."

"Well, you and me makes two. Unless my kindergarten teacher taught me wrong. Wait, did I even go to kindergarten?"

"Us only?! No extra guys?"

"Nah, you see I work solo. Han Solo. Oooh yeahhh!"

"…"

"Haven't you heard of Star Wars? Dude, it is the greatest movie, and I say-"

"HURK!"

"Wahhh! What?"

"Are you out of your mind? How are we supposed to enter an outpost, just the two of us, and oh,… ha, I get it! We are going to go at nighttime. We are going to stealth our way through right?" Karan knew it was risky but it was the safest way. Going in daylights was a suicide mission.

"Nah, I sleep at night. We are doing this now. Stealth, don't like. Making a grand entrance with explosions and guns blazing is more awesome."

"…"

"Hey you not getting cold feet are ya?"

"I am not. But just the two of us is absurd. We will be killed."

"No can do. Trust me, let me show ya something to calm yer nerves. Thor, I'm moving out." Hurk gave a salute along with Karan to the old man which he returned. "Don't get killed Karan.", Tharu muttered to himself as he stared at their receding bodies making a turn on the right.

Hurk and Karan walked outside the village where Hurk's pick up truck was parked. Karan was still feeling very dubious about this rescue operation and somewhere he felt he was being too hasty. But, he wanted to save Ajay, maybe making his personal amends to his murdered family. Soon, they reached the car.

"Lo and behold!", Hurk flourished extravagantly to the car and as Karan looked at it, he felt his jaw drop and his doubt clearing a little. Emphasis on little.

Hurk saw the look on Karan and smiled proudly, "So K-ran bro, how's your aim huh?"

The outpost of Kalo Godham was a poaching house. Skins of different animals were piled in one corner of the brick wall. The air smelled of blood and guts, clearly indicating that the army were not much for cleanliness. The outpost had two entrances, no gates but guarded by two guards, one at each point. Cages were secured tightly around the single house which may have one day belonged to a family but now, was turned into a shady slaughterhouse. Most cages were empty yet one particular cage held the most dangerous animal. It was none other than Ajay Ghale who was in a very bad mood.

After the most uncomfortable car ride in the world, Ajay was taken out of the truck with a splitting headache. Ajay very much appreciated the light and the fresh air but soon his nostrils were filled with the putrid smell of blood intestines. Animal blood and intestines. Ajay decided that fighting against his kidnappers was not the sanest idea right now. Ajay could not really fight with his hands and legs tied unless he could headbutt seven people one after the other without getting riddled with bullet holes.

They opened Ajay's ropes and Ajay decided to stretch his muscles. But he was violently jerked into a cage. Ajay could smell the poop of the previous occupant and heard the door close behind him, forcing him more into the cage.

Ajay adjusted himself inside the little space as much as he could, minding to not step on the feces. He was very much sure that he would be returned to Pagan Min. He felt a shiver run up his spine thinking of him waiting and smiling at him with open arms.

He heard the low rumble of an incoming vehicle and cursed at the appearance of more soldiers. The jeep's door opened and out came an American man in a Hawaiian shirt under a bullet proof jacket, combat pants and boots. He greeted the outpost leader with a nod and took off his aviator shades. "So what do you have for me?", he started speaking to the leader. The leader side stepped and flourished his arm towards Ajay like showing a work of art.

The man surprised, immediately broke into a smile. "Ooh, now that's quite a rare animal you have have there..." Ajay seriously annoyed snapped back, "Aren't you a little too far from the Bahamas weirdo?" The man just gasped and looked to his henchmen, "And it talks!" Everybody laughed at the joke except Ajay who was giving a dead glare to the man.

"Jokes aside", the man walked up to Ajay's cage and crouched down. "The name's Paul Harmon. But I am known as 'De Pleur' as well. Call me whatever you like. And you are AJ Gale. I was expecting you with Pagan to come for dinner yesterday but it seems he had some work and you had some exploring to do."

"What the heck do you guys want with me?", Ajay gritted out.

"Heck? What? You are too old to say hell or ****?"

"Somebody has some mommy issues it seems..."

"Ooh, right where it hurts. Ha, just kidding. You see AJ, I am not your enemy. I bear no grudge or ill will towards you.", Paul said as he stood up and started walking to his jeep's trunk. Its just that Pagan wants you. And as Pagan is my boss, blah, blah, blah, I need to bring want my boss wants. And what he wants, he gets. Eventually. So nothing personal." Paul opened the trunk and took out three big plastic bags filled with heroin and passed them to Ajay's captors. "A job well done boys. Enjoy."

The 'boys' were excited with the gifts they got for Ajay's capture and started to cut a little hole in one of them. Paul shoke his head and turned towards Ajay, "Ok then, Ajay. You would be coming with-"

Suddenly, a grenade was thrown in front of Paul. "Grenade! Hit the ground!", Paul shouted as  
he scurried off and dived behind the jeep. Ajay was already in a fetal position and he wrapped his hands protectively on his head. The grenade exploded furiously, flying up a mushroom cloud of dust. Somehow, Ajay did not get hurt just felt the heat and the smell of gunpowder washing off him But his ears were not so lucky. "Really! That's it! God, how many times have my ears gone nearly deaf", Ajay shouted raged at the total chaos this country was going through its years. Ajay had enough and so without caring he kicked the cage door hard. On the second kick, the door broke off the lock and the hinges and Ajay stumbled out getting goo on his knees.

No sooner had he got out he saw a blue pick-up truck coming straight for him out of nowhere. He was going to sidestep when he saw Karan standing on the back of the truck and starting to fire at the downed army soldiers. "Ajay get on!"

Ajay had just a few seconds to make a decision. Either he would stay still and get ran over down or he could side step and get in from the back, between the hail of bullets being fired. Ajay took the third option. He ran straight in front of the incoming vehicle, jumped up the hood of the car, and tumbled to the back space, falling on the back of Newar and making Karan's chest hit the gun. "You ***! Here I am, going out of my way to save and you and you want to wrestle!", Karan shouted scrunching his face as the truck picked up speed. The guards at the entrance were going to shoot when another grenade was thrown at their feet and they soon chickened away. The grenade was just a snub and they had left the outpost in the dust and smoke.

As Ajay got a little of his bearings he looked inside the back screen into the driver's seat. Ajay looked at Karan and he just nodded, "Friend. Name's Hurk." while rubbing his sore chest. Ajay thanked Karan for getting him out and knocked on the screen to get Hurk's attention. Hurk just opened the passenger seat in response while still driving. Ajay was perturbed at this but sighed and slowly climbed at the side of the truck and made into the passenger seat.

Ajay closed the door and started, "Hurk, uh hey, thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problemo, Bro. Its what the Royal Army does. We get in, blow *** up and get out, driving off into the sunshine.", Hurk replied enthusiastically emphasizing the last words.

"Royal Army? But I thou-"

"Don't Ajay.", Karan replied from the backscreen. "I have told him countless times and yet he still insists that he is with the Royal Army fighting against the Golden Path. I nearly wanted to die hearing him talk so much." Ajay decided to follow Karan's advice and stayed silent. But the peace came to an end. In a terrifying way.

Karan heard the loud rumbling of vehicles and a look behind the car confirmed it. They were being chased by four cars, in each one, royal army soldiers brandished assault rifles, SMGs, pistols, shotguns, etc. "Um Hurk, you better pick some speed.", Ajay said with his head out of the window, the vehicles gradually gaining on them.

"Guys.", Karan shouted, keeping the machine gun aimed straight at the incoming enemies. "I don't want to die here so can you go faster? And not much cover, mind you." Hurk changed the gear to maximum four and hit the gas pedal. The car zoomed past the forests along the dirt path towards the south. "We needa get to south ASAP. Or these Golden Path will have us like whiskey in a cowboy hat." 'What?!', Ajay questioned in his brain of the sanity of this Hurk fellow. He was a good driver so Ajay was not complaining right now.

But the enemies were not so easily lost either. They had been traveling in these roads for years, knowing them like the back of their hands and were getting closer by the minute. Karan had enough and started shooting at the cars while the enemies reciprocated in kind. But Karan was a very bad shot Ajay noticed. Karan had never handled a gun other than the skirmish the day before in the jungle and now he was trying to control a machine gun. Ajay knew Karan was not really proving effective. "Hurk, get the machine gun, Karan needs help." Hurk nodded, "Take the wheel bro." Ajay grabbed the wheel while Hurk climbed out of the door and back to Karan. Ajay shifted to the driver's seat and pretty soon started to hear the bullets hitting the vehicles, hoping it was Hurk's careful aim and not the other way around.

Adrenaline surged inside Ajay's blood as he tried to take them out as fast as possible. He did not know the directions to where they were supposed to be going but they had to make an escape. The truck's engine roared in front of Ajay and his hand vibrated on the wheel. He constantly checked the side mirror to gauge the distance between the enemies and them, cursing the words 'Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.'

The road was getting more bumpy but Ajay slowed none and the pick-up truck was going through dangerous air-times. Hurk and Karan were having a bad time being flung nearly out of the truck. Still Hurk was smiling all the way while Karan firmly had his mouth closed in case his stomach betrayed him all of a sudden.

Suddenly out of the woods a car jumped down the road at the side of the road and rammed Ajay. Ajay barely maintained the car to not flip over its top but the car was not going anywhere any soon. "Hurk! Enemies up right side!", Ajay screamed as he tried to ram them back.

"Busy here, man! There's a gun in the dashboard. *** em up!"

Ajay gripped the wheel tightly with his right land as he opened the dashboard to find a Skorpion, a machine pistol into it. He took it out and started to shoot the offending vehicle, giving short bursts to maintain precision. The vehicle started to create distance between them. Ajay felt relieved until he saw the window being opened and the muzzle of a gun being seen, which Ajay deduced was that of an LMG. Ajay didn't even knew how they fit that big a gun inside the car but didn't stop to question. "Hurk, Karan! We are taking a shortcut! Brace yourselves!", Ajay declared and he curved the car right into the woods.

Karan grabbed the side rails with all his might. "Ajay, I don't like this shortcut!"

"Well, I thought we could use a little nature, you see.", Ajay joked but he was far from being in a good mood.

"Man I love nature. The flowers, the tress, the blood-thirsty animals...", Hurk reminiscent, sighing. "It reminds me of the time I was in Rook Islands. It was a paradise but with losts of my monkey bros… my dear bros." Karan did not know what drugs this man was truly on. From happy to shedding tears, this was the definition of a man-child. But he could care a little more if they survived this chase. They were still being followed and what next Karan saw made him pale as a corpse. He banged loudly at the back, trying to get attention of Ajay. "Ajay! Ajay! Ajay!" Ajay looked back, a little annoyed, "I am busy! Trying not to hit a tree!"

Karan shouted, "Forget the stupid tree! We have a rocket to dodge!" Karan pointed back at the vehicles. Ajay gave a confused 'huh?' and looked at where Karan was pointing only to find a man pointing a bazooka at them. 'You kidding me?!', Ajay thought before the man fired and the rocket sailed right at them. Ajay took a sharp turn to the left and the rocket went right past them until it hit a tree in the distance and a huge explosion rocked the otherwise quiet forest.

Hurk seemed to see that this stuff was getting pretty dangerous and decided to pull all out. "As they say, when the going gets tough, you bring a C4!"

"You have a C4?", Ajay questioned.

"What is a C4?". Karan questioned.

"It is basically a grenade but just picture a mean, spirited, white, wired, grenade."

'Oh god. More explosions. I am gonna go deaf', Ajay grew anxious and tired. ' Ajay straightened up and said, "Hurk, don't deploy the C4 just now. We are in a jungle. It was lucky that the rocket hit a tree in the sparse area of the forest but, the C4 will surely cause a wildfire. Wait for my signal."

Ajay hoped he could dodge enough so that they could make an escape out of the woods before detonating the package. Still the thought of killing people was not he was comfortable with in anyway in his life. He had seen the hollow look a man man possessed when his life left his body but knew that it was more of a do or die situation at the moment. Soon, Ajay was back on the road and to his amaze a wooden bridge came up. He was honestly surprised at the new development and called to his mates. "Guys, bridge up ahead. Blow it up!"

Karan and Hurk understood and as the truck's back tires had just left the precipice of the bridge, Hurk threw down the C4 and it and pressed the trigger and the bridge started to collapse. Race against time, Ajay somehow hit land before they could be sent tumbling down the raging river and were gone. The Royal Army stopped at the collapse of the bridge, shooting futilely at the truck.

"Whoo-hoo! Now that! was! Awesoooommmmeeee!", Hurk exclaimed as Karan smiled and finally hurled the contents of his stomach from the side of the truck.

"Hey man, watch the paint job!"

Ajay sighed. 'What a lovely day.' as he drive to the south literally in the sunset.


	6. Not A New Chapter

**Hello there, readers. I hope you guys are doing well. I know it has been ages since I have uploaded a new chapter. It is just that I have been busy writing other stories and with exams near and my own personal life getting in the way.**

 **But the story is not dead. I don't plan to drop it. I will continue it but right now I am putting it up for an indefinite hiatus. I apologize for that. In order to make up for it, I have another fiction story called 'The Forest With No Name'** **uploaded on FictionPress. And it is complete. ;) I will put out the link below.**

 **s/3293104/1/The-Forest-With-No-Name**

 **It may feel like shameless advertising, but this is the least I could do for the ones who have followed and favored my fanfiction so much. Well this is all. Riverdale, signing out.**


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